In recognition of the Month of the Military Child and National Poetry Month in April, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) announced that he is hosting his fourth annual poetry contest for Minnesota students. The theme of this year's contest is "Celebrating the Veteran in My Life."

Using math and math facts happens nearly every day however subtly it may seem, from counting out change to pay for groceries, to figuring a tip at a restaurant, to doubling the amounts in a recipe. No matter how simple or complicated the math computing may be, math is a skill that is needed and useful in daily life.

Presidents’ Day is just around the corner. Second grade students at Spring Grove Public School in Deb Sullivan’s and Kandice Hammel’s classes have been learning a little about the government and president.

The first national spelling bee was in 1925. Nine newspapers collaborated to begin the event and in 1941 Scripps took over the sponsorship of the National Spelling Bee and is still the sponsor today. There have been national spelling bees ever since the inception except during the war years of 1943 to 1945. Of the 91 champions over the years of the bee, the split has been pretty equal between the genders with 47 being girls and 44 being boys. Four years there have been co-champions named – 1950, 1957, 1962, and 2014.

Spring Grove Public School is proud of the talents that their students have. One way that they showcase the artist talent of the students is through the Student Art Gallery. At the end of each school year, art teacher Renee Eiken chooses several pieces of art to be framed and hung on the walls of the school as part of the Student Art Gallery.

Northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota high school students and their parents will have an opportunity to talk with representatives of more than 65 higher education institutions on Monday, Sept. 15, at Luther College.

Major League Soccer announced that Minnesota will be the home of a new Major League Soccer team. The owners also announced they want to build a new open-air stadium for the team. Do you think it should be funded through public subsidies or privately funded?